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Episode details

World Service,24 Aug 2021,46 mins

Why the Taliban love social media

Digital Planet

Available for over a year

While the stereotype of the Afghan Taliban is that they lack sophistication, that certainly isn’t true for their online presence, which is geared to influence across many languages within Afghanistan and around the world. Adam Rutland co-founder of the Centre for Information Resilience looks at the effectiveness of their campaign and how they have learnt from both ISIS and Hamas. We also look at computer guided initiatives for understanding the working of the human brain. Alex Frangi and Ali Sarrami Foroushani from Leeds University have a model which can be used to do research which would be dangerous in real people. And Fern Luham reports on the technology she and other blind people can use around the home from practical devices to those that help with her social life. The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Ghislaine Boddington Studio Manager: Nigel Dix Producer: Julian Siddle (Image: Getty Images)

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